episode_0075

The first lecture of the Imperial Academy’s Department of Fine Arts.

Since the major lectures were only open to art students, unlike the liberal arts classes before, only about 30 students were seated in the lecture room.

As it was a place to learn how to draw, there were canvases and art supplies rather than desks, and students were waiting for the class to start while each was taking care of their tools.

“I’m really curious about what you’ll teach in the first class.”

“The professor is so talented.”

If the other undergraduate students did not acknowledge Rupert, who had become the youngest professor at the academy, and were jealous of him,

The art department was split 50-50.

Since they were all illustrators, they already knew how good Rupert’s skills were through the picture books and comic books he had created.

He had quite a few students who were filled with the desire to learn painting from him.

“Tsk, my father said he would kick me out of the house if I didn’t go to the academy.”

On the other hand, those who chose the Department of Fine Arts not because they wanted to study art but to enter an academy were full of complaints like students in other departments.

To them, painting was nothing more than a trivial talent.

I didn’t even want to draw it well, and I just thought, what’s the point of drawing it well?

Since grades are determined by donations anyway, these are people who try to build connections that are useful to the academy rather than struggling.

So the art department was divided into two factions.

A group of students from commoners who are truly talented in art and came here to learn art.

And the aristocratic student faction whose goal is the academy itself.

Although the number of students from commoners was slightly higher, unfortunately, the leadership in the art department was held by the aristocrats.

“Hey, stop rustling around, don’t you know how to be quiet?”

“Mi… Sorry.”

“They are really parasitic guys. They don’t even know that they are going to the academy thanks to someone’s donation.”

As the academy is a cradle for nurturing talent, it was stipulated in the rules that everyone, regardless of social status, should receive equal education and treat each other without discrimination.

It was only observed at the beginning.

The academy is short, but life is long. This was a golden saying passed down to students within the academy.

Although it may have been possible to match them during my academy days, the moment I graduated, the harsh society made me realize the distinction between social classes once again.

The stories of academy graduates who were born commoners and are harassed by nobles using their school days as an excuse are no longer a topic of conversation.

That is why, even within the academy, those of commoner origin had to be careful not to be criticized by the nobles.

Of course, the situation was a little different for common students in popular departments such as the Military and Magic departments.

‘What? You’re not satisfied with your work at the Academy?’

Swords and magic do not have any regard for social status, so even those born to commoners could rise to fame if they had the skills, and the nobles did not necessarily have to fight with such talented people, so everyone was careful with each other.

But since they are people who graduated from the art department and have no connection to power, it doesn’t really matter.

widely!

Someone opened the door and came into the quiet lecture room, which had become quiet as people watched the nobles’ faces.

“Hello, nice to meet you.”

Rupert stands at the podium with a natural gait, as if he had been a professor for several years.

“Hello.”

Only the common students responded to Rupert’s greeting with a greeting.

The aristocratic students were still sitting with their arms crossed and legs crossed in an arrogant manner.

‘What are those?’

Rupert realized in an instant that the students in the classroom were divided into two groups.

‘The ones sitting in the back seem to be nobles, and the ones in front are commoners.’

It might be hard to tell them apart from the outside, since everyone is wearing gray sweaters, white shirts, and green ties that indicate they are part of the arts department.

Even though their clothing was similar, there was a clear difference between nobles and commoners.

From well-groomed hair to beautiful hands and white skin that showed that she had never worked hard, these were luxuries that only nobles in this world could afford.

‘Are those really that thick?’

Rupert thought it couldn’t be worse than that, since he had taught high school students going through a rough time in Korea at an art school.

When I saw the aristocratic students who were irritating me with just their expressions, I felt like my head was already filled with steam.

‘Anyway, since they’re not one of the four main characters, there’s no need to worry about them.’

The family was poor, yes, but Rupert’s family, Somerset, was a true earldom.

A family with a solid foundation of high-ranking nobles, with many more lower-ranking families than higher-ranking families when listed in order of nobility.

Moreover, their finances had recently become more sound, and they were only slightly below the level of the average counts and even the great nobles.

Above all, since Rupert, who was greatly loved by the royal family, was the successor, honestly, no matter what the noble students in front of me did, it would be ridiculous.

‘I will teach you step by step.’

Even though he had fallen into another world, Rupert, who was originally from the land of courtesy in the East and had Confucianism engraved in his bones, thought things were going well for him.

“Okay, then, to assess your level and teach you the basics, I will give you your first assignment.”

Rupert walked up to the classroom blackboard, grabbed a piece of chalk, and drew a neat, appropriately sized circle.

Even though I drew the circle lightly and without much focus or care, the shape was perfect, as if it had been drawn with a compass.

“The circle can be considered the basis of the drawing.”

Rupert, who had drawn that beautiful circle, put down the chalk as if it were nothing and continued talking.

“I would like you all to draw a circle on the canvas in front of you. The size doesn’t matter, and you can draw several circles.”

-Students who draw the circle they think is the best can go and have it evaluated by me.

Rupert’s words caused a stir in the classroom.

‘What? You’re saying drawing a circle is the end?’

‘This is a class that is completely eaten up. I should hurry up and finish it and have some tea time.’

The aristocratic students who were uncomfortable learning from Rupert, who was the same age as them or younger, immediately began drawing circles with the graphite they had prepared as soon as Rupert finished speaking.

However, the commoner students showed a somewhat contradictory attitude, hesitating a bit and slowly thinking about how to draw a circle properly.

“Finished.”

Less than a minute later, a voice announces that the task is complete.

He was one of the aristocratic students sitting behind me.

With him at the helm, most of the noble students announced that they were finished, and Rupert moved towards the students to inspect the painting.

Students confidently showing off their circles.

“This is a circle? This is a really rewarding student to raise. I have to teach him everything from A to Z, so I think teaching him will be fun.”

They were furious at Rupert’s words that seemed to mock them and were about to argue, but they backed down again at the cold expression on Rupert’s face that was different from his voice.

but

“Please explain why. Didn’t you tell me to draw a circle?”

“This is a circle? This can’t be called a circle.”

Rupert marks here and there the crooked curves of a circle drawn by a student with the graphite he was holding.

“That… What does that have to do with anything?!”

“That’s right! What does that have to do with circles and drawing skills!”

Not only the student who had been harshly criticized by Rupert, but also the other aristocratic students around him all expressed their discontent as if they had caught a catch.

But Rupert did not respond to the complaint, but quietly returned to the podium, grabbed the chalk, and stood in front of the blackboard.

Rupert draws a larger circle next to the original circle and then draws a smaller circle next to it.

Students were amazed by the shape of the circle, which was almost perfectly formed regardless of its size.

But Rupert didn’t stop there, he drew a cross inside a medium-sized circle.

Then he started to draw the points of the cross, and before he knew it, the circle had transformed into the shape of a human face.

Also, in a small circle, he started drawing numerous curves along the surface, and this time he drew a beautiful flower.

The big circle was just a few lines added to it, and it turned into a whale living in the ocean.

As this entire process took place in just a few minutes, the students were left speechless with their mouths wide open.

They are also people who entered the academy because they were recognized as good at drawing.

Rupert’s skills were on a whole other level.

Rupert continued talking as if nothing had happened, unaware of the students’ sense of shame and shock.

“Wouldn’t this be okay?”

The aristocratic students who had been voicing their complaints could not help but be dumbfounded by that question.

Rupert simply said, “Again!” and returned to the podium, leaving the aristocratic students to hold back their seething hearts and draw a circle again.

On the other hand, the common students who had been struggling to draw circles from the beginning succeeded in drawing circles that looked better than expected.

“This is harder than I thought?”

“So, since it is a curve and not a straight line, it is not easy to catch the shaking.”

“If you just turn your wrist a little more gently.”

Rupert watched the scene with a pleased expression.

This is not just simple labor. It is a necessary process because you need to know how to draw a circle properly before you can start drawing.

Above all, there has never been a greater challenge in identifying talent.

Anyone who can draw a straight circle can safely consider themselves talented in art.

It may sound simple, but it was a more difficult task than expected.

The students only then realized how amazing the circle on the blackboard that Rupert had drawn as an example was.

Because I realized through my own experience how difficult it is to draw a circle.

“Student passed.”

The common students who originally had talent and interest in drawing passed the assignment of drawing circles one by one, and after receiving the sketch assignments that Rupert gave them to bring to the next lecture, they left the classroom one by one.

But the aristocratic students-

“Damn it! Why can’t it be drawn straight!”

“What does this have to do with pictures!”

Rupert’s continued rejection notices left him with nothing but a grumbling, sullen expression and a circle of thought.

In a situation where it was difficult to concentrate and draw, I saw the common students who I thought were inferior to me pass the exam and leave one by one.

A situation where the mind becomes anxious and uneasy, and the circle becomes even more difficult to draw.

“… Professor, the lecture time is almost over.”

Eventually, by the end of the scheduled lecture time, none of the noble students had passed.

And one of them, trying to suppress his reluctance to call Rupert Professor, asked him a question.

“Ah, students who lack the skills will have to draw more during break time to keep up.”

The expressions of the aristocratic students distorted at Rupert’s reply that they should continue drawing as if it were nothing.

‘Since you are taking my class, you will become my precious future slaves… no, you may even become my employees, so I will teach you thoroughly from the basics.’

Since he had at least some talent for being admitted to the Imperial Academy, Rupert had no intention of teaching him roughly.

The aristocratic students, unable to understand Rupert’s intentions, had no choice but to groan and draw a circle, and finally the bell signaling the end of class rang.

“In addition to the homework I gave, students are also asked to draw a proper circle by the next class.”

-Then see you next time.

It was Rupert who said goodbye to them for the first time with a smile.

***

“How about mixing illusion magic and telekinesis magic?”

Surprisingly, the classes in the Faculty of Magic were also closely related to those in the Faculty of Engineering.

So one of their major courses was magic engineering, and they had a common course.

The assignment for this class was for students to work in teams and submit a magic engineering project within the semester.

A lecture that requires pure creativity from students, where the professor simply tells them what they want to ask and does not participate at all.

Amelia Bluewell, a celebrity from the Faculty of Magic, was also teaming up with students from the Faculty of Engineering to select magical engineering items to submit.

“So what Youngae said is that we should make a magic pen that can draw whatever we imagine in our heads?”

The magical item that Amelia suggested to her team members was none other than a magic pen.

A truly miraculous tool that automatically draws what the user imagines in their head.

“Yes, if we have this, I think we can use it in various fields.”

Everyone agreed. Even for engineering students, just having this pen would make drawing blueprints much easier.

It can also be very useful when explaining what you saw to others.

Not only that, it can also be used to draw wanted posters for wanted criminals, so the uses are endless.

“Good idea! How did you come up with this idea?”

“… I just happened to think about it.”

It seemed like there was some other reason, but the students in the engineering department were already confused by Amelia’s shy speech.

Just being able to team up with Amelia, one of the most beautiful women in the empire, was the height of happiness.

The thought of seeing such a shy appearance made them determined to create a magic pen with all their might.